I'm fairly certain the fuel pump has gone out on the 98 Ram....question is how much would you expect it would cost to repair with a mechanic?

 

Why do you suspect the fuel pump is going out? If you can get your hands on a fuel psi tester (auto parts stores should loan them out) then you should test it the pressure at the rail. Should be ~49psi. If the pump is bad, replace it with a Denso or Delphi brand only... Or you will find yourself having to replace it again. The pump assembly costs $145 on RockAuto then factor in about $80 an hour for a shop to put it in. I would assume it takes 2-3hrs?

 

around 2 hrs.

 

I'm fairly mechanically ignorant but it was making this loud annoying noise last week, then last night it just sputtered and died like whenyou run out of gas. I had gas in it. When you try to start it will run for a few seconds then sputter and die. From what I can find online searching it sounds like the fuel pump. Thanks for the info!!!

 

Its actually a fairly easy fix to do at home. Just drop the tank and swap the parts really. Took me about 3 hours, but better than paying a shop $150

 

Swapping out pumps takes just a few minutes. tank drops down and you disconnect everything. I used a piece of wood and hammer to tap the ring off that holds the pump in and installed another.. If you got U pull it yard, you can get lucky as most pull the tanks to drain and set the pump up in back,. I took a 12 or 24 volt battery from my drill out to the yard and hooked to the pump to make sure it worked... Found a brand new one, watch also the new pump comes with a adapter pig tail for the electrical connection. thats how I knew the pump was new, I could see the pig tail connector.

These pumps are $$$$$$$$ thats why I went to junk yard,

 

Running a fuel pump from a junkyard vehicle is akin to buying used underwear, especially if the pressure regulator isn't replaced.

 

Money does not grow on trees around me, so I do what I can. And a new pump can go out just as fast as a old one. So do what you want. I prefer to save some money. And waiting 5 days for rock auto to send one or a day for the local parts place to get one in.
But a electrical pump that is clean and not broke, works just as good as a new one. If the sock is good that tells you the pump is more than likely not got any trash in it.

 

Is there a DIY thread around here on the process to change out the fuel pump on a 2nd Gen ram? Thanks

 

No, but all the info can be found in a Haynes manual and by downloading the correct free service manual from the FAQ/DIY section.